1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly used for electrically connecting two separate printed circuit boards (PCBs).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Board-to-board electrical connectors have been widely used and applied in all kinds of electrical equipment to electrically connect two separate PCBs. Typical such board-to-board electrical connector assemblies have rectangular housings and contacts received in the housings, and examples thereof are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,873,742, 6,155,886 and 6,095,824.
FIG. 8 shows such a conventional board-to-board electrical connector assembly 7 comprising a first connector 8 and a second connector 9. The first connector 8 comprises a longitudinal first housing 81 and a plurality of first contacts 82 received therein, and the second connector 9 comprises a longitudinal second housing 91 and a plurality of second contacts 92 received therein. The first contacts 82 and the second contacts 92 are symmetrically received in opposite longitudinal sides of the first housing 81 and the second housing 92 respectively. The first and second housings 81, 91 of the two complementary first and second connectors 8, 9 are typically restricted in size by the layouts of corresponding PCBs. That is, the first and second housings 81, 91 are limited to a certain length, and each first and second connector 8, 9 comprises only two rows of first or second contacts 82, 92 therein. Thus, the number of first and second contacts 82, 92 is limited by the structure of the electrical connector assembly 7. The electrical connector assembly 7 is increasingly unable to satisfy the more stringent demands of modern equipment requiring more signal transmission.
Hence, a new board-to-board electrical connector assembly is required to overcome the above-described disadvantages.